Inorien

This post has been edited 2 time(s), it was last edited by Inorien: 25.08.2013 00:14.

Hello!

My name is Nick and I live in London UK.
I'll be turning 19 in a couple of months! Don't be intimidated by my age. I've been mistaken for people far older! A fairly fast learner, but have a slow intuition and sometimes need things explained from a basic level.
A tall creature fond of drink and industry.

I got interested in poker when I was introduced to it a few years ago on an online pirates game. Strangely enough, that game was marketed towards a younger audience... complete with gambling for in-game currency. That was a great way to get introduced to the game!

I decided yesterday to start taking poker seriously. I signed up on this website several months back but never really used it and didn't end up joining an online poker room. Yesterday I came back here and set stuff into motion and now play on the Poker770 network! I've been reading the Basic NL Holdem strategies and complementing the knowledge there with experience on the NL2 tables over at Poker770 - and I'm pleased to say that I'm actually in the green, having made around £0.30 today!

I use the PokerTracker 4 Trial Version at the moment with a view to purchasing the full version once the Trial runs out. It really is fantastic software and I've been learning to use the HUD today. I worked out the various abbreviations - VPIP, PFR, CB, FCB, etc - by myself before realising I could just Google them. While now knowing what they mean, I still have issues getting used to actually using them on the fly - I'm still having trouble working out ranges and getting used to estimating equity. There is a lot of data and not very much time to process it all! I am, however, good with numbers once I get used to the processing of said numbers, so I'm hoping I'll one day be good at assigning ranges, comparing equity and hopefully not riding by the seat of my pants in most games.

I've looked at a couple of other introductory threads in this board... I'll just go ahead and answer all the Questions now.

Question 1: What is your motivation for playing poker?

Humm. Back when I was first introduced to poker, the currency at stake were pieces of eight which you used in a game. I was about 14 back then, and was poor in-game and wanted to buy my own pirate ship (don't ask). There were several gambling style games to choose from, but Poker - Hold'em was the one I settled with eventually. A few years on, I'm fairly interested in mathematics and computer sciences, so the logic behind Hold'em is still fairly appealing to me. I'm also hugely attracted to the professional poker scene for the above reason - I find it extremely admirable that some people are able to quickly work out odds in their minds and side with the statistics, while I'm still tripping over numbers in the rush in my head as well as fighting with my gut feeling. Who knows - maybe one day I'll reach that level and buy my own ship for real!

Question 2: What are your weaknesses when playing poker?

Gut feeling interrupting statistical analysis. Also, I have a tendency to tilt if I've been sitting around for ages bleeding stack in the form of blinds while folding a constant stream of salad. At the moment, I only play on single tables because I want to be able to consistently make positive amounts of money on one table before beginning multitabling. It helps keep my mind clear while I get used to the various statistical analyses I need to be doing.

Question 3: What does it mean to play tight aggressive?

Play like I play! Play the good hands and play them hard. Fold stuff that isn't practical and put money on the hands you think are going to do well, more money if you think it's gonna do really well! But don't freak out your opponents and make them fold. You need their precious i̶n̶t̶e̶s̶t̶i̶n̶e̶s̶ money!

Welcome to the beginner's course. Intro looks great! Hope you enjoy the course, I'm quite confident that you will. Bogdan our beginner's course coach will be with you in the coming days to have a look at your homework. All the best.

First, I want to congratulate you on finishing up your first homework but also on the work you've put into it. Well done.

It's not often that see this level of detail !!!

Remember that a lot of the skills you see some players showcase are being developed throughout ones career. Hard work and experience will make you overcome a lot of the obstacles poker puts in your path (like tilting too easy, getting distracted easier, etc.)